Eyes of an Arist
by crybabies
Summary: She whacked him in the back of his head, and for a second Sai thought he saw the Sandaime. 'What a violent woman…'
1. Preface

Eyes of an Artist

By crybabies

Summary: Human interaction has its many wonders and quirks, it seemed. Eye contact was no doubt an important factor of communication, yet it was also apparent that maintaining such had the ability to drive others into intense discomfort.

 **A/N:** I don't own Naruto. And honestly, I would rather _read_ fanfiction about Ino and Sai, but I realized just how limited the options were. So I decided to write my own story. This is going to be following cannon as much as possible, because I love stories like that. Eyes of an Artist is _my_ take on what happens between Ino and Sai, while strictly following the timeline of events. (Of the novels, movie, etc.)

ALSO, this is the preface of it all. I just wanted to give somewhat of a look inside Sai's perspective. I apologize if it's a little boring.

 **ALSO, this takes place two years after the war. So, before Shikamaru Hiden. Which I also do not own.**

* * *

 ** _Preface_**

Appreciating external surroundings was always the first step to appreciating art.

Actually, in a way, appreciating external surroundings _was_ ultimately appreciating art.

Either way, said general perspective was always necessary to gather inspiration for new pieces. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the details in the first place, but Sai had grown so accustomed to the way the world seemed solely at an objective, physical viewpoint. He wanted to take in his surroundings first hand, as opposed to from memory, and really think about how everything appeared. And expand on that. What could he do to portray his works – often objective and exact – in a different light?

And so he took another look of many at the scenery before him, and began to draw.

From an indifferent perspective, the confliction between the moistened emerald and crisping scarlet of the leaves was a lovely view to behold. The difference in hues of what appeared before him seemed to elegantly complement each other, despite how, well, different they were. The way the leaves shook in unison when a slight zephyr rolled by was rather aesthetically pleasing, in combination with the cooperation of the thick of green that encompassed much of where he stared.

In a way, it could definitely be seen as sad. Gloomy, really. At least that's what he had heard before. He could distinctively remember his peers chatting about the departing summer, about how depressing it was to watch so much of nature's beauty drain itself of life as winter approached. This was a very interesting perspective to Sai, and he ached to encompass every inch of detail with this emotion in mind.

Yet, it was hard for him to make himself experience that sort of thing. It would absolutely be a lie to say that he's _never_ felt sadness before, but at the same time he couldn't really remember how it was like. The experiences were so long ago, so few, that he could not bring himself to replay that sort of feeling no matter how hard he tried.

Or…maybe he was just blocking it out.

' _It is what it is,'_ Sai then thought to himself. Feeling emotion was certainly what made being human so special, but at the same time he didn't really mind that he couldn't feel something that he knew was generally negative. He came to the conclusion that feeling emotions, particularly this emotion, would happen when it happens, whether it be for better or worse.

Well. So much for a new perspective on art.

Right when he was about to give up, he remembered that, clearly, sadness was not the only emotion that a human could feel. Why not try to include something else? Happiness had unexpectedly reared its golden head more often than Sai could ever expect, with that deriving from his gradual acceptance into the original Konoha 12 – well, now 11 – squad, despite only meeting them in his teenage years.

In theory, it would have been easier. But he _still_ had problems continuing his art even from that emotion.

So, he just stared.

He stared and stared through the slight clearing, made visible only from the gap between the two most forefront trees standing a few meters away from him. His eyes continued to stare, pierce through, almost, through the empty space of said clearing, until thick layers of greens and browns and reds met his eyes once again.

At the very least, he could just sit back and appreciate the beauty of the scenery, and leave it at that. Maybe he would come to an epiphany, a solution to his artistic predicament. Or maybe he would just wait until the cerulean hue of the sky shifted toward its indigo state, until golden rays cast its last beam, and then call it a night.

He stared until his eyes burned and couldn't stay open another second, then continued to stare at the imprinted version in his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, he realized something had changed. It wasn't the color of the sky, or the way the light splattered itself through the trees, similarly to the way thrown paint looked like on a wall. No, he hadn't closed his eyes for _that_ long.

In the middle of the clearing was a young woman donned in purple, seemingly melting into the grass without a care in the world.

Even from a distance, Sai could tell that her gaze was concentrated toward the sky with the same amount of intensity he had when he was staring at the clearing a few moments ago. He looked downward, finally readdressing the neglected sketchbook resting next to him, and began to capture the moment before him, along with the peculiar feeling that began to swell up inside him.

' _Positivity,'_ He mused. _'Tranquility?'_

Occasionally, Sai would look up to maintain the overall accuracy of the view before him.

Or so he led himself to believe.

* * *

A good amount of time would pass each time Sai would look up to recount what he was trying to capture.

Upon casting his fifth or sixth glance, he realized that the scenery had yet again changed. This time the woman was no longer paying attention to the sky, and had propped herself up into a sitting position.

Even from a distance, he could feel her inquisitive eyes piercing into his.

 _End of chapter 1._

* * *

 **A/N:** I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. When I wrote this I really identified with Sai's artistic struggle, so I found it pretty easy to get the words and ideas flowing in my head. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do! Remember to R &R!


	2. Warmth

Eyes of an Artist

By crybabies

Summary: Human interaction has its many wonders and quirks, it seemed. Eye contact was no doubt an important factor of communication, yet it was also apparent that maintaining such had the ability to drive others into intense discomfort.

A/N: I don't own Naruto! Hope you all enjoy the chapter.

 **Warmth**

He could not find it in himself to stand up and approach her. In truth, he didn't feel that it was very necessary. It seemed as if their eyes communicated more than they could have verbally, had they been face to face. He watched her as she promptly lifted herself from the grass, dusted herself off, and began her approach toward him – hips sashaying with the sway of her blonde ankle length hair, all the while maintaining the lock in their stare.

She must not have even noticed that their gazes were still interlocked at that point, until a light shade of pink hinted at her cheeks. Sai decided that he didn't dislike the color.

' _What an analytical person,'_ Sai thought to himself as he watched the woman ferociously studying her surroundings. Ino appeared to be throwing sporadic glances toward him; at that point she was close enough to Sai for him to notice that her gaze never really landed on him.

Human interaction has its many wonders and quirks, it seemed. Eye contact was no doubt an important factor of communication, yet it was also apparent that maintaining such had the ability to drive others into intense discomfort.

"Hey, Sai. What brings you here?" She plopped down beside him.

He turned to her, with his trade mark smile plastered onto his face.

"Hello beautiful. Just relaxing and enjoying the air," He paused, focusing back onto the clearing. "And yourself?" Honestly, he wasn't _too_ interested. But after reading through multiple assortments of _Icha Icha Paradise_ , courtesy of Kakashi-sensei, it seemed to him that women loved to talk about themselves…among other things.

"Eh, same here."

"…"

"Shika, Choji, and I used to go around here every day after we trained. We'd lie in that spot ahead, where you're looking at right now, and just watch the clouds go by. I thought I'd come here by myself to relax, but I guess I'm a little lonelier than I thought. They're both too busy for me now."

"Then why don't you make yourself busy too?"

"It's not that easy! _Baka!_ " She whacked him in the back of his head, and for a second Sai thought he saw the Sandaime. _'What a violent woman…!'_

"Beautiful _and_ strong." He noticed the pink once again flooding her cheeks, this time more concentrated in color.

"Fuh." She laid on the grass. "I guess that was a little overboard. I'm sorry."

"Mmm... Yes, it was." He pushed his sketchbook aside and joined her, feeling the lavish green tickling the back of his neck. "But that's okay, Beautiful."

A moment passed in silence.

"Can I look at what you're drawing?" Ino asked.

Sai contemplated about it for a moment, thinking back to those few moments he showed unfinished pieces to his other peers. His mind brought him back to the first mission he went on with a set team – consisting of Sakura, Naruto, and Yamato – and it specifically hung on that day Sakura had crept up behind him while he was drawing by the water.

He remembered that it felt a little, just a little, strange. To have someone observe every stroke of his brush, intently following on his every move, gave rise to something uncomfortable within Sai's entire being. It made him want to squirm, to cover his work away, to stand up and hold his ground. He felt the instinct to protect himself.

But in comparison to this particular moment, that previous feeling of defensiveness, if that was even what it was, felt insignificant. Sai felt a rigid coldness shooting down into his stomach.

' _Is this what insecurity is?'_

This was definitely not something Sai was used to, and something that he didn't want to get used to. The dark haired boy thought about the question at hand again, given by the curious woman lying oddly closely beside him. To think that she was trying to take advantage of his vulnerability was quite a silly thought; Sai could not think of any ulterior motive that she could have possibly had. He instinctively turned his head toward her, eyes focusing on the smile engulfing the blonde's face as true and natural as ever. It was at that point that Sai decided to respond, despite the uneasiness flowing through himself. _'Better to take a hold of this irrationality than let it run its course,'_ he thought.

"I...don't see why not," Sai hesitantly picked up the book and handed it to her. "It's not done, though."

He studied her, noticing pastel blue irises darting all over the paper. Ino seemed as if she were engulfed in what he had drawn, her entire being passing through from reality into the world that Sai had perceived and created. Her eyes hungrily drank up each and every stroke, and lingered on the unblemished portion of the sheet.

"Sai, this is lovely. To see this scene captured in your perspective is absolutely a pleasure. I'm really excited to see how you finish it."

"Thank you," Sai replied, turning his head to face the sky again. _'…In my perspective?'_ He thought to himself.

It struck him that perhaps his art wasn't as objective as he thought it was.

"…And you drew me in it too."

"Yes." He stole a quick glance at her, and noticed her grinning toward the sky.

"Even if this was drawn from a far, you really managed to capture so many details! Fufufu, you weren't _staring_ at me, were you?"

"I had to look at you because you were a part of the scenery. That's all." Another smile, but this time not as plastered.

"Oh _wow_! Way to just burst my bubble like that!" Sai heard a rustling sound, and noticed that she had just sat up; he hoped to dear Kami that she wasn't about to leave.

"…You were fun to draw, though. I really enjoyed it." He sat up as well and held both hands together toward the sky, stretching out the strains of his back. He secretly hoped that his action of sitting up would somehow stop her from leaving.

The boy cursed himself for having so many irrational thoughts popping up in his mind lately.

"…I'm glad… can I watch you finish it?" Ino asked, handing back the sketchbook, thumb accidentally smudging the still wet paint onto the still blank areas. "O-oh no…!"

The girl moved her finger away from the sketchbook, wincing as if the very touch stimulated pain. "I'm so sorry…" She breathed, lowering and shaking her head.

To Sai, it was never really a problem to begin with – it wasn't as if it were intentional. Besides, the glowing look on her face prior to the accident had already made it all worth it to him. He smiled, chuckled really, and took the book out of Ino's hands, and she looked up at him, looking bewildered at his amused response to something she viewed so dreadful.

"Is it really just funny to you? Don't pretend to be alright if you aren't…" Ino murmured. The chuckling stopped.

"You know, Beautiful," The blonde turned to him.

"I'm able to understand when things are done unintentionally, alright? I'm not that clueless."

Sai could feel the girl's negativity whirling around her being but frankly he did not consider it much at that moment. The boy could understand why people would assume that he wouldn't understand certain things, but for god's sake he wasn't an idiot! It was quite bothersome to him, that this sort of mindset was what actually alienated him as opposed to his lack of comprehension on certain social interactions; it wasn't as if he were learning rocket science.

There was a lengthy moment of silence before Ino spoke.

"…You're right, I was wrong to doubt you… sorry about that. I was skeptical, but you know, I guess at that moment I just wanted to help you express yourself as truly as possible." She paused. Her breath hitched in her throat; it seemed as if she wanted to speak, but was choked by the sheer density and volume of her words.

Suddenly, she began again. "I know that this may seem out of the blue, because we don't talk all that much. But I want to get to know you. I think that it would be nice for us to be friends, dontchya think?"

Huh.

 _Friends?_

Oh of course. Sai knew what those were; it was what Naruto was to Sakura, what Sakura was to Naruto, and what Sasuke was to both of them. He too was part of the whole "friend group," but even as someone generally unexposed to that sort of thing, Sai could tell that he was no way as valued as the three were to each other.

…And who other than that could he even _call_ friends?

Suddenly he was able to relate to the girl next to him, to the words that she used to speak of her teammates that were drifting away from one another. Sai was no longer hanging out with "his" team as well – hell, even before he still didn't feel like he was part of the team, being there just as a replacement for Sasuke and all – and now he felt somewhat of a hollowness widening, enlargening, festering inside of him. _'Now what is this…?'_ He wondered in amusement. It was so _weird_ , pushing himself, no, freely letting himself, feel these things.

He felt his lips move without really thinking about it…

"Friends."

* * *

They sat down across from each other, a wooden slab of a table in between them, separating each other from being too close to one another. Ino had coaxed Sai into 'getting off his lazy ass and hitting the best restaurant in town' with her in the last forty five minutes, which he eventually gave into. He still felt the crushing intensity of her hands around his wrist – he had no idea that the woman was that strong!

"It's on me," She grinned, making eye contact with Sai briefly and then glancing at the menu. "To new friends!"

He could hear the joy in her voice, and it brought him the warming feeling once again. Perhaps this was his version of delight, the pale boy thought, and that it was his first step to being normal like the rest of them. _'I wouldn't be against that,'_ Sai thought.

He lifted his glass of water toward her, for cheers, he supposed. He had seen Sakura and Naruto doing so before, the week after Sasuke had returned, as a symbol of cheer as well.

She lifted her glass toward his and it made a clink.

"…Oh, Sai, you can put your glass down now. We finished the cheer." Sai looked over to the girl, who seemed as if she were trying to contain her laughter.

"Huh? Oh." He put his glass down. A giggle slipped through the girl's lips. "Hey, you know, don't pretend that you're not laughing if you are." He smiled at her, this time feeling it reach his eyes.

"Ah shut up!"

Laughter erupted from the table. It was an entirely new feeling, Sai had noticed. He decided that he would try to laugh more often, and make her laugh as well. The two had enjoyed each other's company so much that they didn't notice a bouncing blond boy donned in orange walking toward where they were sitting.

"Oi, Ino, Sai!" Both the pale boy and the blonde girl turned toward the voice. The towering whisker cheeked blond made his way to the table, strutting almost, side by side with a beautiful petite woman with eyes as white as new fallen snow.

"Hey Naruto, Hinata-chan! Come sit down!" Ino called out. Sai waved politely at them, as the two shinobi arrived promptly at the table.

"Ohoho, no need. We're just here to say hey, that's all…don't want to disturb your _date,_ dattebayo! Plus, we're on our way to meet up with Sakura, Sasuke, Lee, and a few others!" Naruto said, sheepishly grinning while scratching the back of his neck with his bandaged arm.

Sai looked over to Ino, which he deduced looked as red as a beet.

"We're not on a date! We're just having a friendly dinner." The woman glared daggers toward the blond boy. Hinata giggled.

"Woah…don't hurt me! I was just joking! Heheh, well we won't disturb you anymore, guys, have fun!" And with that, Naruto bolted out of the restaurant. Hinata sighed dejectedly, crossing her arms. Sai noticed that she had always looked so happy, yet lonely when she was with Naruto. The latter always seemed oblivious to it, too. "Well, I better go follow him. Have a great night you two." She turned and smiled, before also heading out of the restaurant.

A few moments passed before the two said anything. Sai watched the woman in front of him, looking at her as she seemingly examined the options on the menu. It was pretty obvious, though, that she wasn't actually looking at anything in particular. He wondered why she would even bother looking at the menu if she wasn't going to order in the first place - well, any time soon, at least. He decided to break the silence.

"So, Beautiful." The blonde looked up.

"Are we not on a date?" The blonde choked on her spit.

"N-no Sai! We're not on a date, I just told Naruto that!" The beet-esque hue wrapped around her cheeks once more.

"Huh. Is a date not when a man and a woman get together?"

"Well it doesn't necessarily have to be between just a man and a woman! And it's only a date when the two people have romantic feelings toward one another."

"Do you have romantic feelings toward me?"

"Baka!" Sai felt a fist land on his head.

Women…!

"It was only a question…" he mildly protested, rubbing the bump that was now growing in size on his poor noggin. As if on cue the waitress came to the table, an old frail thing, before Ino could even react. A feeling of relief rushed through his body as he heard the woman speak.

"What can I get for you two?" The small woman inquired, holding out a pad of paper and a pen in her hands.

"I'd like the seafood tempura special with a side of brown rice, and a medium sized bottle of the finest sake!" Ino gushed, turning to Sai. "What about you?"

"I'd like the spicy tofu with beef noodles. Thank you." The waitress smiled at Sai, and turned back toward the kitchen.

"Pfft. Why are you getting just tofu? You don't have to worry about the price when you're being treated by me!" I no smiled, and gave a thumbs up.

"That's really nice of you. Thank you Gai-san." Sai mimicked the blonde's smile, tilting his head to the side, and gave her a thumbs up back.

"YOU!" Another fist landed on Sai's head. _'Ouch,'_ he thought, wincing from pain, courtesy of the abrasive woman. He had decided earlier not to provoke her to avoid the woman's violent side after her first punch, but for some reason he couldn't help but continue despite that fact. For some reason, flustering the blonde woman brought him enjoyment. Which inevitably led to more pain for him.

'… _Am I a masochist?'_

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Sai and Ino had gotten kicked out of the restaurant. It wasn't because they had been overly loud – hell, everyone was drunk by the time they had gotten their meal – no, it was simply because the restaurant was starting to close. The fun they were having had masked over the long duration of time they had spent together in the seedy restaurant.

"It was _reaaaaally_ fun spending time with you, Sai!" The platinum blonde slurred, as she stumbled onto the street. She had almost landed face first into the ground until Sai rushed over to her, grabbing her arm. She grabbed onto him back, trying to stabilize herself, but it was in vain as she fell backward onto the ground.

This was because she had managed to grab onto the zipper on Sai's shirt, somehow tugging it downward with her.

Sai stood there at first, unsure of how to react. Warmth pricked his body on the spots the blonde had touched as she fell; it felt as if the heat was seeping through his skin, into his muscles, and through his bones. He remained there for quite a while, until the poor woman began to regurgitate her most recent meal.

"You drank too much." Sai stated matter of factly, reaching down to Ino. He grabbed her hair, as chunks of food continued to empty out of her stomach. His mind flashed back to when they were in the middle of their meal; he was on his third cup of sake, she was on her fourth bottle.

"I…did…" Ino replied, as she began coughing. Luckily for her she managed to vomit directly onto the ground, narrowly missing her clothes and hair. A smile crawled onto her lips and her gaze shifted upwards to Sai's, blue meeting black, and attempted to get up. Sai grabbed her upward, shifting her body until he had her in a princess hold. To him, it was a matter of convenience; had she walked on her own, she would have somehow hurt herself from her lack of balance and coordination at that state.

' _Beet red again.'_

"I…really did have a great t-time with you, though. Thanksforhangingoutwithme…!" She slurred again, leaning onto his chest. She continued. "I haven't hadthatmuch…fun in a while!" Ino laughed.

"Are you taking me homenow, Sai?" She asked, still leaning into his chest.

"Yes. I think you're way too drunk to get there on your own right now." Sai briefly looked down at her, as he ran across the roof tops. He jumped down to ground level after a couple of minutes and walked to the back entrance of the Yamanaka household. "Where's your room?"

"This one, here. I..thinkI'llbefine here…" Sai let her down to her feet.

"OK. Are you sure?"

"OfcourseI'm sure…! I live here!"

"Well, okay. Have a good night, Beautiful."

"You too! Can I see you tomoorroooow?"

"Yeah." He watched the girl smile, and turned around to head back home.

"W-wait!" Sai turned around.

"Eventhough…you didn't act like it… the truth is, you're drunk too Sai! Yourshirt...still unzipped!" Sai looked down, and noticed his bare chest reflecting the moonlight. He felt the warmth again, flooding his body like tidal waves, only he felt like he was going to be knocked down by them. Overwhelmed by the sensation, the pale boy turned toward his destination and fled the scene.

"Good night!"

A/N: hope you all enjoyed this! I'm currently writing this out of the city at my boyfriend's college. Yeah. I guess that's my excuse for it being so unedited. I'll edit it in time. Have a good day guys! _Until next time…!_


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